'Game of Thrones' recap: Burn it all down

Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 6 episode 4, "Book of the Stranger." Check out more of our Game of Thrones recap with Kelly Lawler at life.usatoday.com.
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Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 6 episode 4, “Book of the Stranger.” To read our recap of episode 3, click here, and for a GoT novice's take on the show, check out our colleagues over at For The Win.

Now that was really something.

Free from the constraints of the books -- from the wheel-spinning that George R.R. Martin has employed to keep the characters apart and to keep the story going -- Game of Thrones is truly on fire. Sunday’s episode, Book of the Stranger, was one of the best hours the show has ever delivered, and it was able to soar to such heights because the show can now do whatever the heck it wants. Sure, we all know that Martin is in close communications with the showrunners and there’s a plan that mimics what he plans to deliver in the final two books, but there aren’t the same timeline restrictions, fan expectations and, quite simply, the thousands of pages to measure the show against. And seemingly, for the first time in five years, Game of Thrones can breathe.

Across multiple storylines and characters, Book of the Stranger had more forward momentum and genuine excitement than seemingly we saw in the entire fifth season. Jon, Sansa, Cersei, Jaime, Margarey, Theon and, of course, Daenerys were all able to make decisions, to have agency and remind us why we liked them all in the first place. It’s not a coincidence that the final moment of the episode mirrored one of the most triumphant moments of the entire show: It was coming out as its own definitive story. And we’re so ready to see more.

Fire still cannot kill a dragon

We are ready to bow down to you, too.(Photo: HBO)

With all of Dany’s many, many names and titles, it might be easy to forget one of the most important ones: The Unburnt.

Five years ago she walked into a funeral pyre and walked out with three baby dragons on her shoulders and not a single burn on her skin. This time she burned alive all of the Khals of all of the Khalasars and won over a hundred thousand men, women and children to her cause. In season 1, the sorceress who killed Drogo burned in that pyre to help birth the dragons, because “only death can pay for life.” The deaths of all the Khals seemed to give more life to Dany than she’s had since she first started freeing slaves.

And it's easy to see why her time in Meereen has stalled the character: She’s a leader who needs to be leading, to set fire to things and gather armies, not sit in a throne room and debate policy. This is the Khaleesi we’ve been waiting for. Daario and Jorah can just cease with their pissing contest and kneel before her, like the rest of the world.

Family reunion

#TeamStark forever.(Photo: HBO)

There have been few moments on this shows that have elicited as much joy as the reunion of Sansa and Jon. Since the Starks parted ways in the second episode of the first season there has never been a reunion of any of them, until now (53 episodes in the making!), and goodness did it feel good. Not only is Sansa reunited with the brother she once disdained (and apologizing for her formerly bratty behavior), she’s also whipping the recently-resurrected Lord Commander back into shape. Now is not the time to brood and go on a walkabout, now is the time to fight. Even before Ramsay’s threats come in (we get it, he’s evil did we need all those rape and murder threats and for him to kill Osha gosh darn it), Sansa is pointing her brother towards war. And once the threats do come in, she pushes him over the edge.

What do you get when you add wildlings, the Northerners, the Watch, Jon, Sansa, Brienne, Melisandre, Davos to a bowl and mix? A force ready to rid the world of one Ramsay Bolton, that’s for sure.

Oh hey, speaking of Brienne, Melisandre and Davos, remember that whole thing where they’ve all been mortal enemies of each other at one point? Well now Melisandre is following Jon (because she thinks he’s the Prince Who Was Promised), Davos is questioning what happened to Shireen, and Brienne is just telling it like it is. I’m surprised she didn’t take out her sword and drop it, mic-style, after she admitted to killing Stannis. Brienne wins all things.

Finally paying their debts

Always side with the Queen of Thorns. Just a good rule of thumb.(Photo: HBO)

Ever since Tywin died, the remaining Lannisters (well, not Tyrion) have fallen out of the greater battle for Westeros and been consumed with smaller political struggles within King’s Landing itself. And now, after fighting the Tyrells and Pycelle and everyone else for every last scrap of bureaucratic power, Cersei and Jaime find themselves without nearly any at all. And so they did the hardest thing they’ve ever had to do: They compromised. And they’ve never been smarter. The High Sparrow has shown over the past two seasons his power and influence, and many small factions divided cannot stop him. And so it’s going to take the combined power of the Cersei, Jaime, Olenna and Kevan to bring him down and rescue Margarey. And we can't wait to see him go.

Speaking of the queen, things are not looking too good for her. She may be holding up decently to the torture of the Faith Militant but little bro Loras is not doing so well. The plan to free her rests on her ability to confess her sins at the right moment, so here’s to hoping Loras’ situation doesn’t ruin everything.

Not the Mother of Dragons

Get the man some Wildfyre. That worked last time.(Photo: HBO)

While Dany is off and burning down sacred temples and gaining followers, Tyrion is still left to deal with the mess she has left in Meereen, and he doesn’t have a lot of help to do it. Few people in this show have any kind of experience actually running a government, and Tyrion knows that keeping the trains running on time means making sacrifices and compromises, and even making peace with your enemies in the face of outrage from your friends. And so our favorite former Hand of the King bit the bullet no one else was willing to, and offered peace to the slavers that have taken back Yunkai and Astapor, even as the freedmen stood in protest. But hey, he’s winning over Grey Worm and Missendei, bit by very tiny bit. They begrudgingly help his plan, even if they strongly disagree with his tactics. It’s a big gamble on the hope that Tyrion is smarter than everyone else, but that worked before at the Blackwater. Maybe it can work for Meereen.

Sidenote, can we start a petition for a Three’s Company-style sitcom spin-off with Tyrion, Missendei and Grey Worm? The joke potential is endless.

Brothers and sisters

Guys. At least try to be happy.(Photo: HBO)

So there was another sibling reunion this episode, and it was just like Jon and Sansa, only with less hugging and love and joy, and more threats and glowers and mentions of castration. Theon and Yara Greyjoy are back together, but it’s not all sunshine and daisies on the Iron Islands. Yara is mad as heck at her brother, and she has good reason to be after he botched his part in their father’s plan to take the Seven Kingdoms, got captured and then betrayed her rescue attempt after being so thoroughly broken by Ramsay. She does not see his sudden return as good in really any way, especially since their father just died and Theon has always been an opportunistic little bugger. But the man who returned is not the man she remembers, and the only reason he’s back is that he truly needs a sense of home and family. And the way he’s going to do it is by supporting Yara’s claim on the Iron Islands. I’m not sure how much help he’ll be, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.

Birds of prey

Dude. Be better.(Photo: HBO)

Oh hi there, Littlefinger, it’s been awhile. How have you been? There have been some developments since you’ve been away. Remember how you convinced Sansa to marry a psychotic rapist? Yeah that didn’t work out. Oh and now you’re bringing falcons to manipulate a stupid little lord and threatening a good guy? And you’re also on a mission to rescue Sansa who you creepily are in love with because you loved her mother? And you still freaking smiling? OK, fine, we missed you just a little bit. As long as your Knights of the Vale don’t get in the way of Jon and Sansa stomping Ramsay off the face of the world you can continue to exist, I guess.

Death watch

Jon Snow: Showing more signs of life, thanks to Sansa.

Who we lost in this episode:

Osha (and we were so excited to have her back!)

Lots of stupid Khals who did not deserve to lead (Maybe you shouldn’t have threatened Dany, bros.)

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Dany and Tyrion have a lot to think about in the tenth and final episode of season 6 of 'Game of Thrones.' You can scroll through photos from Sunday's episode, "The Winds of Winter," and episodes 1-9 after this. Mild spoilers for the episodes follow.
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